Best Breakfast at Walt Disney World

My tummy is rumbly just thinking about this… It’s realllllyyy hard for me to to pick just one best breakfast at Walt Disney World. Why? Well, there are lots of things that constitute ‘best’ from the taste of the food to the experience. So, I will pick a winner from these categories:

Best Breakfast Dish Overall

Best Character Breakfast

Best Breakfast Buffet (without) character.

Best breakfast dish at Disney World

There are LOTS of great options, from the Waffles with Whipped Mascarpone at Trattoria al Forno that are a bit like a breakfast tiramisu, to Goofy’s vegetable lasagna at Chef Mickey’s, to the Eggs Benedict at the Grand Floridian Cafe. But, there is one that makes my mouth water just writing this post…

The Tonga Toast at Kona Cafe

Tonga toast at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort is my vote for the best breakfast at Walt Disney World.

The Tonga Toast is available at the Polynesian’s Kona Cafe and also at their quick service restaurant, Captain Cook’s.It is fluffy, delicious french toast that is stuffed with banana, then battered and fried before being rolled in cinnamon and sugar… It is I recommend getting an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) for the Kona Cafe and trying out this decadent item at a leisurely pace with a coffee. It will give you LOTS of energy for a day at the parks!

After enjoying your Tonga Toast, you can hop right on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom or take it to the Transportation and Ticketing Center for access to other parks.

If you are in a hurry or don’t have an Advanced Dining Reservation, you can head to the lower level of the Polynesian to Capt. Cook’s and get a Tonga Toast to go!

Runner Up

The Lobster Benedict at the Grand Floridian Cafe at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is our runner-up for best breakfast dish at Disney World. The Grand Floridian Cafe has a nice, relaxing atmosphere and delicious cuisine. And you are one monorail stop away from Magic Kingdom. It’s worth a try, especially if you haven’t seen The Grand Floridian (Grand Flo) before. It is breathtaking.

Best Character Breakfast at Disney World

Another tough one…

There are great character breakfast options at Walt Disney World.

Some of my favorites are Cinderella’s Royal Table, Chef Mickey’s, Akershus Storybook Dining, 1900 Park Fare and Cape May Cafe (try the spicy chorizo if you like hot stuff!).

We think the best character breakfast is…

Meet your favorite friends from the Hundred Acre woods at the Crystal Palace restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.

The Crystal Palace.

Here’s why. The food is delicious, and you get to meet Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. We consider the friends from the Hundred Acre Woods to be Disney classics, and meeting them for breakfast is a blast.

I recommend making a relatively early Advanced Dining Reservation if your troupe can handle early mornings, which should help you enjoy an emptier-than-normal Magic Kingdom.

Please note, now that the Main Gate rope drop has been eliminated, and the Welcome Show is at Cinderella’s Castle, Main Street opens an hour before the rest of the park.

If your ADR is at 8, you can still get in even earlier and get a picture in front of the castle with no crowd. Check in for your reservation early and you may get seated early.

To find the Crystal Palace, wander down Main Street and hang a left at the end of the street before the castle. If you finish early enough, you can zoom onto some rides without a FastPass, like the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh! We recommend finishing before 9 if possible, and positioning yourself as close to the rope for FantasyLand as you can.

This is Pooh’s Puffed French Toast at Crystal Palace and is one of my favorite buffet items.

The buffet is very good – try Pooh’s Puffed French toast, especially if you catch a Cast Member putting out a fresh tray of them. YUM.

And no, I don’t always eat breakfasts that are fried and rolled in sugar, but if there were no consequences, I just might.

Runner Up

Chef Mickey’s is our second favorite character breakfast. The food is delicious and you can’t beat having breakfast with the Mouse himself.

The Crystal Palace was crowned the winner because of its location in Magic Kingdom and more reasonable pricing than Cinderella’s Royal Table (CRT). Breakfast in the castle gets you into Magic Kingdom before Main Street opens, and will actually position you even more favorably for FantasyLand than Crystal Palace as the restaurant entrance/exit is at the back of the castle, in FantasyLand.

Early morning at Magic Kingdom is another magical way to maximize rides at Magic Kingdom. Guests can truly appreciate the intricacy of Disney’s decor without fighting crowds.

Early Morning Magic is a hard ticket event and the breakfast that is included is at Pinocchio Village Haus. You will need to get your reservations as much in advance as possible. Guests will be able to get on many of the Fantasyland rides with zero wait – including the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Best Breakfast Buffet at Disney World

There are many great buffets at Disney World. But the best breakfast buffet takes some careful consideration.

The Winner is

The buffet at Boma – Flavors of Africa is our favorite breakfast buffet at Disney

Boma – Flavors of Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. You can find traditional breakfast fare as well as African dishes like Chakalaka (a tomato stew). Do yourself a favor and try the FrenchToastBreadPudding with Pecan Praline Sauce. You’re welcome.

The Runner Up

The Wave of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary resort. It is a favorite of locals and features cuisine that has options that are healthy, local and/or sustainable. Be sure to try the Signature Sweet Potato Pancakes served with house-made honey butter, they’re delicious! Don’t believe me…? Try the eggs benedict with key lime hollandaise.